Return to Sender
by pitt-writer7
Summary: 2x03 AU future!fic Or the one in which Tom does walk away from the 2nd Mass...


**A/N:**Updated 7/2/2012 This is a bit of a what if AU/future!fic spinning after 2x03 when Pope kind of jumps Tom and tells him to walk away from the 2nd Mass and then says he would raise his sons as his own (lolcats) I wrote it before I watched 2x04 and discovered that Matt is actually 9years old not 11... (whoops) Um just a quick fic. Sorry for mistakes. Review please :)

* * *

"Dad would hate that you're following him," Matt fought the urge to roll his eyes as he waited for his brother to finish signing off on the contract that would release the Berserkers from Charleston. "He would," the other insisted in that all knowing tone.

"Dad's not here." Tom Mason had disappeared just before the former second Massachusetts headed off to join up with the new capitol in South Carolina. They waited out the few years there fighting the aliens-they were still fighting- and Ben and Hal spent any spare time looking for their once again missing father. And then one day they came back. Arguing. Fighting. Matt wasn't sure. His older siblings could be completely silent but they gave off this icy dislike for one another that just screamed bitter rivalry.

They never went out again together to look for him after that.

Matt figured Hal was trying to play daddy to his younger brothers, Ben wasn't having it and one day, Ben was front lines on some new military division they formed that would go out and take the fight away from the civilian population.

Hal stayed behind to defend the civilians. Matt figured out later that it was because he couldn't leave 'the youngest' behind. He said dad wouldn't have wanted it.

"Dad said to keep fighting," had been Ben's response. "Weaver wanted to head into the mountains, remember? Away from the fighting. Dad wanted us here. To keep fighting! That's what I'm doing!" Ben had walked out after that and Hal had called after him. To come back. Listen to himself. "I'm not a kid anymore!" But he hadn't turned around and Matt was pretty sure that was the last time they had seen each other face to face.

The special division never saw fit to return to Charleston. Their orders were simple. Kill what aliens you can. Clean sweep.

"You need a haircut," Hal's hand was suddenly in Matt's shaggy red locks scratching his scalp and for a moment Matt forgot he wasn't a little boy anymore and should not be enjoying this treatment.

"Off," he said pushing his older brother's hand away but Hal just smirked knowing Matt had leaned into his hand for a second the little brat. "You done? I gotta head out soon."

"Where?" Hal was frowning. Serious. Concerned.

"Wherever we're needed."

"You mean wherever Pope feels like heading." Matt couldn't in honest truth deny the statement but someone always needed something somewhere and so Pope's whims usually turned out to be something beneficial. Usually. "When you see him, tell him he's a douchebag."

"Pope or Ben?" Hal didn't answer he just smiled and hit Matt on the back as the younger one turned and left. He had his tool bag slung around him, his primary weapon, a few grenades, his secondary rifle, and about three pistols. He was pretty bogged down with his vest making him look bulkier than he really was. He never quite bulked up the muscle. He still had that lanky teenage look and always felt shrimpy when standing with Ben or Hal.

"Have a nice little reunion with your goody brother?" Pope tossed him a beer can from the cooler that didn't actually keep the beer cool. Ice would be needed for that, Matt thought to himself. Annoyed.

"I'm still underage." Matt tossed it back. Pope caught it and finally turned to look at him.

"Huh. You can kill aliens when you're eleven but you can't drink a beer til you're 21. Messed up priorities right there, kid. When's your birthday anyway?" Matt was ashamed to admit that he couldn't quite remember. No one kept track f the days in Pope's group. Pope maybe but he wouldn't tell the rest of them. He said they'd sleep when they got tired, ate when they were hungry and left the logistics to all the politically correct bastards still inhabiting the planet. "I want to make sure we have a kill streak fest on that day. My treat."

"It's always your treat," Matt muttered before getting on his bike. "Hal signed off so we're free to leave now." Pope didn't respond as he took a long gulp from his beer can then crushed it and threw it away, ignoring the cry of protest when it hit one of the passing civilians in the back. "So where to, pops?"

Pope snarled when the others laughed and kicked their cycles to life. It had been a joke. After their father had disappeared, Pope had said he'd do all he could to watched over the Mason princes like they were his own sons. The sarcasm had been dripping like a waterfall dripped. Hal had predictably said over his dead body. But Matt had actually taken to him. Looked up to him when he found it too hard to look up to his feuding brothers. Because they were both like dad and neither were like him.

And his father, who he was, what he represented was starting to fade away like his mom already had. He hated that sometimes when he started to think of dad, Pope's face would come to mind. He hated that he was forgetting Tom Mason.

"We head south," Pope announced throwing his rifle over his shoulder. "I feel like Florida sun shine."

"Skitter capital in this area?" One of the three girls in their group asked. "Didn't you almost get your head blown off the last time we were there?"

"Yeah, got a favor to return to somebody." Pope revved and shot off. Matt followed with the rest of the group but not before shooting a glance behind him at the camp. He looked just in time to see Hal ducking into a tent and Maggie waving him off.

* * *

"Shoot out that tower and then we double back around. Mason!" Pope's voice almost made Matt jump. But he was quick to set his charges and coming running back.

"All ready boss."

"You better be! We aint go all day for your baby butt to be crawlin everwhere. Let's move!" Matt went to stand by the charge, waiting for the signal for him to detonate. No one else was around him, his trap was the distraction. Draw out any rogue skitters while the others got close enough to blow their base.

Matt was sufficiently startled when a hand touched his shoulder.

He whipped around pulling a pistol from his belt and aiming it at his encroacher. The man dropped his scoped rifle and held up his hands. Then he pulled off his dark mask.

"What are you doing here, Matty?" Matt exhaled in relief and lowered his weapon.

"Waiting for a signal to set this area on fire."

"Call it off."

"Ben-"

"We're working. This is our area. Your group of misfits is going to get all of us killed." When Matt didn't move Ben pointed at his radio. "Well?"

"Hal says you're a douchebag," Matt said only because he agreed at the moment then turned back to his detonators. "And I'm not calling it off. It's too late anyway. If you're so scared, call off _your_ group."

"I don't have that authority."

"Then neither do I."

"The Berserkers don't have any authority. You're just riding around following the whims of a man child with no conscience or loyalty to anyone but himself." Matt didn't miss how Ben was using his weapon to point it at Matt accusingly. His fingers twitched to grab his own gun. "Get on your radio and tell Pope he's in our territory and he needs to move on to another playground-"

He was cut off when a blast sounded. Matt panicked wondering if he had missed the signal but his radio hadn't clicked. He then noticed that Ben had crouched to cover him from the blast. Matt pushed him off and scrambled to his night vision binoculars. The Berserkers weren't anywhere. He turned back to his brother.

"Was that your guys?"

"No," Ben answered with a shake of his head. "You sure Pope didn't go off his rocker yet?"

"No he'd stick to the plan. Austin was on the 'zooka anyway-Christ!" Ben scrambled for the radio. No static. "They're jamming our signal."

"What?" Ben was upright and sprinting back through the forest. Ben went back to look through his binoculars. The blast had to be Austin. The guy was a trigger happy panic attack waiting to happen. He wasn't supposed to shoot until after Matt's blast drew away enemies. He probably figured there was radio silence and just took a shot on his own.

They would be swarmed in seconds by the patrolling skitters and mechs.

"We gotta move." Ben was back and hauling Matt to his feet. "Now!"

"But I have to-" There was squealing and Ben shot twice killing the skitter that popped from behind them. "How did-? We cleared-"

"Not good enough. How often do you guys do this same setup?" Matt swallowed thickly. "The aliens aren't stupid they're catching on if you don't change up your attack. They were planning to circle you all in. So come on!" He pulled him a few steps to get him to start running.

"But what about the others?" What about Pope? Matt left unasked. He again felt that bitter taste in his mouth when he cared about the man more than he should. "I can't just leave them-"

"They can handle themselves. It's not like you're the most armed anyway. They'll get out and meet up with us."

"How? There's no radio frequency!"

"Just come on, Matty, I'm not leaving you here!" And again Matt was helpless to Ben's strong grip pulling him through the trees. He heard distant shots being fired and wondered if they were going to lose anybody. Matt figured Austin was probably out for the count. He would have been deepest in the territory with the least ammo. The bazooka was huge. And everyone would be fighting to get out of skitter central.

Matt tripped over a branch or bad luck he wasn't sure. Ben turned to stop and help him up but it was at that moment a skitter jumped out of the darkness. Matt yelped and Ben turned and aimed his weapon.

Then he froze and Matt saw the back of his brother's neck glow an eerie blue. It trailed down his spine where the spikes were illuminating his black clothes.

"Ben!" Matt hissed but his brother was still frozen and he wasn't shooting and the skitter was just there looming over them both.

And then slowly, Ben was turning around. And he wasn't lowering his weapon. And his eyes were blank. Then he was aiming again at Matt. And Matt was the frozen one. Frozen in fear because his brother was about to shoot him in the face at point blank range.

Matt closed his eyes wondering if Hal was going to beat Ben's face in when he found out Ben had killed their little brother.

"AAAHH!" There were two shots and Matt jumped realizing he felt no pain. The skitter was down and Ben was collapsing to his knees, eyes wide in disbelief, in shock. "How do you like that you six legged freak?" Pope shot the skitter one last time for good measure. Then he turned to see the Mason boys, and that Ben's gun was vaguely pointed in Matt's direction. "Oh you've gotta be kidding me. I am so sick of you Masons getting captured by the enemy and turning on us." Pope raised his gun to the back of Ben's head.

"No!" Matt screamed putting a hand up to cover the barrel of the gun. "Don't kill him. He's fine."

"No, he's _not_ fine he tried to _kill_ you," Pope said as if explaining to a child. "That's called fratricide and it's generally frowned upon in our society."

"You don't know that. He didn't pull the trigger." Matt sputtered, nervous because he didn't want Pope killing Ben and he felt like e had to protect him now. His dad would have protected him. Tom Mason wouldn't have let Pope kill his son. "He's fine. He's my brother, I'll deal with him."

"Deal with him how?"

"I just will!" Matt's eyes shifted between Pope, the gun in his hand-still pointed at Ben- and his brother. He heard others coming and he wanted the gun lowered and for Pope to forget what he saw but neither was happening. "Please?" He begged and his voice cracked a little.

Pope looked down at him, eyes unfeeling, expression unchanged and Matt tensed expecting Pope to ignore his pleas and just shoot Ben anyway.

"I don't want him near us. You either take him back to his little cub scouts or you take him back to Charleston and let them deal with him. But I don't want him here!" Pope holstered his pistol and called the others towards giving the Mason boys some privacy. Matt breathed heavily as he patted Ben's hair and tried to get his heartbeat under control.

* * *

Ben's special division typically rode in refurbished tanks or cars but they didn't have individual ones so Matt was forced to take Ben back to Charleston on his motorcycle. He didn't risk going back to the division and just having them shoot Ben where he stood so he could only hope that Hal wouldn't turn them away. Even if he thought Ben was a douchebag, he was still his brother.

But oh would they get the "I told you so speech," from Hal. Some part of him would probably love that his two younger brothers were crawling back to him for help.

"I'm sorry," Ben said his first words in hours after the incident. "I couldn't stop myself, it was like the skitter took complete control of my body then he started telling me things like how you wanted me to kill you and it was for the best and how dad would have been proud of me-" Ben hid his face into his baby brother's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." But it really wasn't. Because having Ben's arms wrapped around him like this and knowing that a skitter could pop out and tell Ben to strangle Matt or worse made him fearful. He could feel Ben shaking his head on his back disagreeing with the statement and probably thinking along the same lines but Matt continued to whisper false assurances. Whether they were for him or Ben he wasn't sure.

He practically cheered when he reached Charleston. The guards let him pass into town easily. He had to find Hal. No one else could hear about Ben yet or what happened in Florida.

Instead he found Maggie.

"Didn't expect to see you anytime soon. Skitter camp got the Berserkers running scared or-" she stopped when Ben came into the ten behind Matt. They looked so similar now, but with Matt's shaggy red hair and baby face and Ben's cropped short to his head with the beginnings of frown lines it was clear who was who. Who was older and younger. "It's good to see you, Ben," she said neutrally. She meant it but she knew the coming storm between Ben and Hal wouldn't be fun for anybody.

"Where is he?" Ben asked not even bothering to say his brother's name.

"He's with Weaver and Churchill senior. Should be back soon." Maggie noticed the distressed looks on both Mason boys faces. She could only imagine what had happened to cause them to cross paths and come back to a place Ben hadn't seen in almost four years. "You want something to eat?" She asked hating playing hostess but knowing the boys turned men still needed someone to look after their basic needs from time to time. Ann couldn't do it as often anymore having her hands tied with the hospital.

The three had sat down to a late lunch of a sandwich and a piece of melon. Matt had just brought his water back to his lips when Hal finally appeared.

"Honey, I'm home," he said receiving a scoff in return. Then he noticed who was in the tent. "This is… awkward."

"You're tellin me," Maggie replied as she stood and handed him a plate. "Eat your lunch. Talk to your brothers. I'll be outside. If Matt says you were a good boy I might have a surprise for you later." And with that she was out the tent and Hal was wearing a goofy smile. Matt had this slightly ill feeling in his stomach so he gulped down his water and stuff the melon in his mouth. It was childish but he didn't want to be the first one to speak.

Hal was prepared to drag this out. He made a plate and sat in the seat across from where Maggie had vacated. He set his stuff down hard and looked at Ben. Ben wasn't looking at either of them. Matt was trying to look at both of them. When it was clear Ben wasn't going to speak, Hal turned to Matt-who still had the melon in his mouth.

"Anyone gonna talk or am I to assume this is just a nice family visit?" Silence. "And get that out of your mouth!" Hal yanked the fruit from between Matt's teeth. He whimpered a little and looked to Ben who still pretended Hal and Matt didn't exist at the moment.

Matt broke down first.

"We had a little situation in Florida."

"What were you doing in Florida?" Hal then turned to Ben. "And aren't you guys supposed to be farther west. What happened to Texas?"

"WE got to Texas," Ben answered slowly. "We got overwhelmed. Commander had us pull back and do a sweep south east." Ben took a bite of his half eaten sandwich. Hal turned back to Matt.

"Well?"

He had that feeling like he was getting chastised for doing something he wasn't supposed to.

"Pope wanted to take down the skitter base where he almost got hurt." Again he had that bitter taste in his mouth. He felt like he should protect Pope from his brothers. It didn't make sense to him. But he felt like he should keep secrets for the man. "We got ambushed."

"Is he dead?" Matt wanted to throw up. Pope was always close to death, they all were but the idea that he was actually dead just felt wrong. Someone that shouldn't be missing. Like how his father shouldn't be missing.

Matt shook his head.

"No, but uh…" Matt looked at Ben then back to Hal. "We had a bit of a close call." Matt turned away again. Hal looked between them then huffed.

"Could you be any more vague?"

"I almost killed him." Ben said quickly. Hal made the face that meant he couldn't quite process what Ben had just said.

"Who? Pope?"

"Matt." Hal recoiled. Then looked between his younger siblings again. "Then Pope almost killed me."

"He should have."

"Hal-!"

"He killed the Skitter that was controlling me. Then Matt stopped him from putting a bullet in my head."

Matt was actually going to throw up this time. He was nervous like at any moment Hal was going to explode and pull his gun on Ben and finish the job. Maybe bringing Ben here wasn't a good idea. Maybe he couldn't trust Hal like he thought he could.

"Skitters can control you?" Hal pushed away from the table. "And how long has this been going on? Since you joined the division? Since we pulled the harness off?"

"Since Jimmy died." Matt hadn't expected an answer. Neither had Hal apparently. He figured this had been the first time the Skitters had got a hold of Ben since they had got him back after the invasion.

"Did you make dad leave?"

"What? No!" Ben looked affronted at that idea more than he did at the prospect of killing his own brother. "I had nothing to do with dad leaving! Jimmy got hurt and we got back and you said dad was gone! How could I have-"

"It just seems like a coincidence is all! The night you find out Skitters can control you is the same night dad vanishes into thin air." Hal pulled Ben very close to him by his neck. "If they made you do something to him just tell me alright? I won't be mad," Matt and Ben knew he was lying, "I just need to know. You don't have to hide-"

Ben pushed him away.

"I didn't do anything to dad! If I had why would I help you look for him all those time afterwards? No one knows what happened to him! He had talked to Weaver, left to go check on things and never showed up again." A fire lit in Ben's eyes. "It's kind of ironic that every time dad disappears, _Weaver_ is the last one to see him."

"Shut your mouth," Hal warned. "Weaver has nothing to do with this!"

"Why? Because he's your new daddy?" Matt could practically hear Hal's muscles flex in protest. "Why don't you just marry his daughter and make it official?" Hal punched him and Ben let him. Matt couldn't handle it. He didn't know how to stop his brothers when they got like this. When he was a kid he used to hide and listen in or cry in a corner because they were bigger than him and always fighting. They were roughly the same size now but Ben was the strongest and Hal was the oldest and Matt still felt like running to his room and crying sometimes.

But he didn't because he was twenty years old and he just sat there and watched his family fall apart. Because Ben would always feel he had something to prove and Hal always felt he needed to prove a point.

"I've gotta go," he muttered leaving his brothers in a confused, tense silence. He made his way to the hospital. He hadn't seen Dr. Glass in a while. She was normally cordial, nice to the boys. A mother figure when they were younger after losing their father. But in later years she seemed to avoid them. Matt didn't want to go to Maggie even though she'd understand. So he went to Dr. Glass who probably had the clearest memory of what their family used to be like. He was starting to forget.

She was just hanging up her stethoscope when she caught sight of him.

"Matt Mason," Ann greeted with a half genuine smile on her face. "Boy, have you grown. Are the rest of the Berserkers back?"

"Nope," he gave her a light hug. "Just me. And Ben," he added and he saw her frown a little.

"Thought he was in Texas."

"Florida." He didn't explain further. "Can I ask you something?" Ann bit her lip then nodded.

"Yes but not here." She led him away through some darker areas of the hospital. He was surprised when they got to her office that it was in such seclusion. She closed and locked the door and invited him to take a seat. "What is it you wanted to talk about?"

"Before Ben left why did you-" he paused trying not to make his words come out as accusing as they sounded in his head. "Why did you stop…liking us?" It sounded juvenile but it got his point across.

Ann looked pretty sad but she didn't protest the statement. Her eyes fluttered down before she answered.

"Honestly? I just couldn't handle it with Tom gone. Hal everyday he gets older and he reminds me of your father so much. It's actually painful for me sometimes. And then he would try to father you and you were so young and innocent. Then you fell in with Pope and God I just felt like I failed. To watch over you with Tom gone. And Ben-"

She stopped but Matt wanted to hear her reasoning for him. Was it because of the spikes? He hadn't showed his back in years but who knew how much his skin had changed. And either he refused to let Dr. Glass look him over or she refused to look he wasn't sure.

"I blamed Ben. For years. It wasn't right but I couldn't help it."

"You blamed him for dad?" He asked confused, thinking to Hal having accused him of the same thing. He wondered how many others thought Tom disappeared because of Ben.

"For Rick." Matt frowned, really confused now. Rick had died years ago from unknown causes. He remembered hearing about it. The boy had gotten feeble, frail after the fighting when they were still in the school. "Rick killed himself. Before he left, Ben told me that he knew Rick was going to do it and he didn't stop him."

"Why would he kill-"

"He wouldn't tell me. He wouldn't tell me why he didn't stop him either. Why he didn't warn me. I blamed myself too, I should have noticed something but I didn't and we had to bury him. I told him he shouldn't keep secrets like this and he didn't say anything he just went off with the division and never looked back."

So Ben had secrets. Lots of them probably. Matt didn't like that he couldn't trust his brothers. He had implicitly trusted his father, but even he disappeared without a trace, dead or otherwise and Matt knew he couldn't trust Tom Mason either. He certainly didn't trust Pope, only trust that he would always be the same man he'd always been.

Matt let out a bitter chuckle.

He couldn't trust the people closest to him because they kept changing. But he could almost trust Pope because he was constant. He didn't change. Maybe that's why he latched onto him.

"That doesn't sound like the laugh of a happy man," Ann commented looking warmly at Matt but he could see the tinges of concern as well. He knew that look well. Hal gave it to him every time he ran off for weeks at a time.

"Not happy," Matt agreed standing to leave. "I just realized a few things. Thanks Dr. Glass." She didn't understand why he was thanking her but she nodded nonetheless when he unlocked her door and left.

* * *

"I need to know what you're going to do with him?" Matt had finally worked up the courage to confront Hal. He had pretty much given Ben over to him when he brought him back to Charleston. "You haven't told Weaver about what happened but you don't want him to leave. I can't either until I know what you're going to do."

"Closure I suppose?" Hal asked looking up at him. "Understandable. You never got it with dad."

"Neither did you," Matt countered hating how Hal pretended that their father's disappearance only effected Matt. Because he was the youngest. "Are you going to kill him or what?" He tried to sound resigned but he choked a little. He had already saved Ben from Pope and a permanent discharge from the special division. He wasn't sure if he was strong enough to save Ben from Hal too.

Hal looked a little surprised. Shocked. And disgusted.

"Ben might be a thorough douche but I'm not going to kill my brother in cold blood." Hal stood and leveled glare at Matt. "What exactly has Pope been teaching you? That if someone might be a threat to just kill him? You know, I wouldn't put it past him to have shot dad and hid the body."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Matt protested but Hal continued undeterred.

"Yeah, and I bet the sadistic bastard thinks it's cute that he can raise you like his son. Kill a guy and steal his family. He's warped you into thinking that it's okay to just murder your own family!"

"I stopped Pope from killing him didn't I?"Matt yelled. "Don't' forget, Ben had the freaking gun in _my_ face first and was ready to blow _my_ head off and I stopped Pope from blowing a hole in Ben's brain!" Matt trembled reliving the terror of that night. The adrenaline of the night and just getting Ben out of there and worrying about the others, it hadn't hit him until that moment how utterly terrified he had been.

Hal saw the change and rushed to his brother's side.

"Easy there, Matt," he said as he caught him just when Matt's legs were about to give out. It was the same thing that happened the day after he shot the skitter that had almost attacked his father. But Ann had been the one to catch him and tell him to take a rest. "You're okay. Everything's fine now."

"No," he whispered as he was lowered into the chair. "It's not."

* * *

Matt felt silly, childish when every morning he would go to check in with the guards at the borders if the caught sight of anyone coming. The answer was always no but Matt held out some hope that maybe Pope would come back for him or send one of the Berserkers and tell him to come home. Give him word on who made it out of Florida. But he felt silly. The same childhood hopefulness that had him pestering the guards everyday about whether his dad had come back.

"Matty Mason," he turned around greeted to the sight of Lourdes, heavily pregnant and holding the hand of her two year old son. "I heard you came back. I didn't get to catch up with you the last time you were home."

Home. Matt wondered where that truly was.

"Yeah, we were kept pretty busy with that Mech station."

"Yeah we saw plenty of wounded at the hospital after that initial raid." Lourdes looked genuinely sad thinking about it. Matt wondered whether she was still helping at the hospital despite looking like she was ready to pop. "There are rumors that Ben is back too."

"Yeah," Matt rubbed the back of his neck. "We're kind of keeping it hush hush for now." Lourdes nodded in almost understanding. Besides the Mason boys and Maggie, no one else knew about the Florida incident. He was sure Ann probably assumed something bad had happened but she didn't seek him out to push the matter.

"If you want a home cooked meal you're always welcome at our place." Their place. Her house with Jamil and their perfect post invasion mixed family. They'd even had a wedding ceremony in Charleston. Life as close to normal as you could get. Sometimes he envied that stability they had. Other times it just gave him this queasy feeling in his gut.

"Thanks," he replied but knew he wouldn't be able to endure that torture. He already couldn't handle Hal and Maggie playing house. To watch a legit married couple would probably tip him over the edge.

Matt spent the next day watching Ben instead. The man had found some of the soldiers from the 2nd Mass and was teaching them some techniques he learned while with the special division. Matt hung back watching from a distance. What Ann had told him, about Rick and Ben, weighed heavily on his thoughts.

When the guys had worked up a sweat, Ben wasn't tired in the least, they slapped backs and went on their way. Ben was gathering his supplies when Matt spoke.

"Thought you were keeping your head down?" Ben faltered for just a second before making his way over to his younger brother.

"I am." Ben slungthe duffle he had been carrying over his shoulder. "They're cool guys. They won't spread anything. You want to get something to eat from the community mess? There shouldn't be too many people there this time of night." Ben brushed past Matt.

"Why didn't you stop Rick?" Ben froze but Matt didn't turn around.

"What did Dr. Glass tell you?"

Matt's nose flared.

"Nothing."

Ben relaxed.

"Just that you knew Rick was going to kill himself and you didn't bother to stop him." Matt stepped up to him when Ben tensed again. "You have secrets. Why did Rick kill himself?" Ben stayed silent. "Just tell me why! For once be the brother you're supposed to be and tell me the truth!"

"Because he knew the Skitters could control us!" Ben admitted in a rush. Matt felt his breath escape him and he took a step back from Ben.

"So you knew since before dad came back that-"

"No. I didn't believe him. I told him it wasn't true. We could fight it. He said it was inevitable. He was going to hurt everyone again. He said it was better if he killed himself. I tried to talk him out of it but he wouldn't listen to me."

"You could have told Dr. Glass. You could have told Weaver. Even Lourdes-"

"There was no changing his mind. He would just keep trying and it would have been too much stress-" Ben stopped and held his head. "I didn't want Rick to die. But I didn't want to take the chance of him being right." Ben turned to walk away.

"But he was," Matt stopped him again with his voice. "Have they ever made you kill someone?"

"No," he admitted with his head down. "But they might as well have with Jimmy."

* * *

"I don't know who my brothers are anymore!" Matt heard Hal slam both hands down on the table. He was sitting jus outside the tent. Neither Hal nor Maggie had bothered to check and make sure no one was outside. "Ben's out there doing God knows what for the division. And Matt-_Matty_ is defending Pope like the man is his _father_. It's like he completely forgot dad!"

"I'm sure that's not true," Maggie argued. "He's been following Pope around for a while. A bit of hero worship. You saw how he tagged along with him when he was making the shells that could hit the mechs."

"Yeah well it might have been cute then, but when my baby brother can in all seriousness ask me if I'm going to kill our other brother, something is seriously messed up in the world." Matt swallowed thickly. He remained silent not wanting to reveal himself. The only time he could get truth out of his brothers was by sneaking around. "Dad would have never let this happen."

"No," Maggie agreed. "But he's not here, is he? You are. Your brothers are men now. They make their own decisions."

"That may be but I can't help but wonder if Ben's not the only one being controlled."

A beat passed and Matt heard Maggie sigh.

"You think Pope is controlling Matt."

"I know he is! Why else would he leave home, leave _me_ to follow that convict all around the country on a glorified joyride?"

"Let me ask you this. Who do you think Matt is trying to be? You, Hal Mason, who with everyday is turning more and more into the man his father once was, the man that _abandoned_ Matt, or Ben who is trying to prove he is more of a soldier than you were when you were younger?" Hal didn't answer at first. "Ben gives him more freedom than you do. You still treat him like a kid."

"Why when I talk about my brothers, you always seem to take their side?"

"What's the point of me reiterating your side? You already know that. Figure you need to hear theirs in order to make a good decision."

Matt could hear the smack of a pair of lips. He internally gagged.

"Tell me again why we aren't married yet?"

"Because I turned down your proposal."

"…Right. Don't worry I'll try again."

"The ole wear me down approach? Persistence may not get you what you want." Matt heard Maggie moved around the table.

"Oh? I wouldn't be so confident in your resolve, Mags."

"And what happens when your girlfriend comes back?" Matt frowned. Girlfriend?

"Karen? It's been 8 years." Matt had forgotten about her. She hadn't been mentioned in so long. And Hal and Maggie had been an unofficial thing for years. He couldn't see Hal dropping Maggie for his teenage sweetheart. He wasn't a teenager anymore.

"Will it be eight years to her? She could come out of it thinking just yesterday you two were humping on strange beds and stealing sweet kisses when the adults weren't looking." It was her teasing voice but Matt knew when Maggie felt insecure. She was jealous. "We said no feelings. Because you never got closure with her. Casual."

"For six years? Maggie you can tell yourself whatever lies you want but you couldn't possibly have pretended for six years. We're together. We're in love." There was some shuffling. "Don't lie to me. I've heard you say it. I've seen it." Matt didn't wait to hear what Maggie would say. He got up silently and moved away from the tent. He would come back in ten minutes or so and make his presence known.

Matt made his way to the river outside of town. He was surprised to find someone else there as well. When he got closer, he recognized the braided hair and brown skin of one of his closest childhood friends.

"Lydia?" He asked and she turned around and smiled at him. "What are you doing out here alone? It's pretty late."

"Thinking." Lydia had lost her mother and brother on the trip to Charleston. Matt had remembered her crying and he being the closest person to her when she found out had found himself armful of girl. He remembered crying silently while she sobbed for both their families. She had lost the remainder of hers and his father still hadn't turned up.

Everyone had thought they would start dating. They hadn't even though he knew Lydia wouldn't be opposed to it. But he seemed to have developed an aversion to relationships over the years. Maybe Pope had rubbed off too much on him.

"How long are you staying?" Matt shrugged. Most people didn't even know why he was back. He was sure there were rumors, probably that he had left the Berserkers or that Pope had kicked him out. That the others were dead. "You ever think about sticking around?"

"Sometimes," he picked his fingernails as he admitted the truth to her. "Most times I can't stand the idea of just staying in one place. Gotta go where I'm needed."

"And Pope needs you?" Lydia looked doubtful. Matt bit back his instinctive need to say yes then he heard rumbling in the distance. He saw the figures moving across the bridge towards town and he could recognize that motorcade sound anywhere.

"Apparently." Matt hopped to his feet and ran off to intercept the group. Lydia was behind him in seconds. When he got to the road he stood in the center forcing the motorcycles to come to a stop. "You came back."

"You've got 15 tin cans headin this way, they'll be here in a few hours." Pope threw something in his direction. Matt caught what were his detonators. "You left those."

"We need to tell Weaver and the rest of command."

"We're going to head off the rest of the skitters. Have your girlfriend tell Weaver."

"Lydia, you don't mind-"

"Doing my duty." She gave a mock salute, stuck her tongue out at Pope's sneer then turned and sprinted towards town. She was a good sprinter. Matt had almost forgotten.

"Well lets get goin!" Pope brought his attention back. "Hop on. You're watchin my flank." Matt climbed on behind Pope. He took a second to take into account who was there. He hoped this wasn't the entire group. Only half were present. Perhaps the others were already fighting the Skitters or waiting for Pope to return.

He was glad that he was right when they got to the meetup point. But he noticed immediately they were down in numbers.

"Austin-?"

"Didn't make it out of Florida. Or Georgie. Had to leave Bambi behind. We got ambushed in Alabama on our way back. Mech blew her bike then the Skitters practically stampeded her." Matt looked away. Bambi had been a good sharpshooter despite having to wear glasses. He never did learn her real name. By the time Pope took him seriously when he said he wanted to join the Berserkers, everyone had been calling her the nickname.

Georgie had been the only girl in the group that smart mouthed Pope. Said she was another Maggie. Matt pretended to not know what that meant.

"How many clips we got?" Matt asked getting off the bike.

"Enough to take out the skitters if we're careful. If we catch the mechs' attention though, we're toast."

"Since when are we ever careful?" Matt asked loading one of the extra rifles. He only had half his normal gear on him when Pope picked him up so he had to make do. "Are we scattering them?"

"No," Pope cocked his shotgun. "They might be expecting that." So he had learned from Florida. "I wanna surprise 'em. Make these suckers think there's only a few then the rest of us swing up from behind and take em out. Circle around as many times as it takes to pick them all off." Pope grabbed a couple of grenades off of someone else's belt and handed them to Matt.

"What-I'm first wave." Matt almost sighed.

"Bet your butt you are." Pope ruffled his hair then pulled out with the other Berserkers. Matt rolled the three grenades around in his hand. He headed off in the direction where the skitters were.

He kept his head down. He found the first trio of aliens. Unsuspecting he took a breath and stepped into their line of sight. He threw the grenade he had already pulled and it blew up in their faces, causing one to fall and another to stagger. The third ran straight for him. He aimed his weapon.

Another Berserker shot it from behind drawing its attention. Matt slinked back into the shadows then doubled back around the second group. He would be ready when the next wave of skitters came. The plan worked three more times. Matt was down to one grenade and his secondary rifle was out of clips.

"We got about three more waves coming in." They all took turns looking through the binoculars.

"Where did they even come from?"

"South obviously," Pope snarled, pacing. They were low on ammo and they still hadn't heard anything from the town militia.

"I mean where did they follow you from?" Matt asked and Pope sent him a glare. "Charleston do regular border patrol, there haven't been skitters or mechs this close to town in years." Pope turned away from him without answering. "Pope!"

"Special Division is dead. Slaughtered by that group," Pope nodded vaguely in the direction the aliens were coming from. "We've been trying to pick them off along the way but we couldn't fight them with the ammo we had. And this was the only place we knew with supplies."

"You," Matt had to take a breath to make sure he heard right. "They've been following you from Florida? How many were there?"

"Hundreds. And that wave you see there is probably not the last, we probably just took out their scouts."

"You led hundreds of aliens straight to Charleston!" Matt walked straight up to him. "There are civilians!"

"I'm sorry little prince, did you forget I have two eyeballs and a brain? What else am I supposed to do without ammo?"

"Lead em on a chase west and sacrifice yourself when you hit your last round." Matt didn't blink when he said it. Pope looked at him for a moment then shoved his shoulder.

"Too much of that professor in you. I don't sacrifice myself for nobody." He yanked the binoculars out of Matt's hands. "Where's that cavalry of yours anyway? Girlfriend get lost or something?" Pope turned around and spotted something. "Oh no. No no no no no!" He threw the binoculars on the ground then hightailed it for his bike. Matt picked them up and turned to where Pope had been looking.

"Gimme that, boy," Flake grabbed the binoculars and looked instead. "Oh. That aint good."

"What?" Matt said but Flake wouldn't let him have the binoculars. "What is it?"

"Cavalry's here," Flake said then pulled the binoculars away from his face. "Your brother's with them."

It took Matt half a second to realize by 'brother' he meant Ben and not Hal. It took him another half second to grab Flake's bike and follow Pope.

"-not bring him here!" He jumped off the bike to where Pope was yelling at the approaching soldiers. "He is a danger to everybody and I am not going to get shot in the back by some two timing-"

"Assign him to the Mechs," Matt said coming up and physically pulling Pope away from his brothers. Hal was going toe to toe with him but Ben stayed silent. "He can fight Mechs not skitters, right Ben?" Most of the people looked confused as to the problem. Weaver pushed his way to the commotion.

"What's all this about?" The older man looked around the circle. "Well?" he barked.

"Pope doesn't want Ben to help fight even though we need every able bodied soldier. We saw what party you led here."

"Captain Weaver," Matt intervened. "Assign Ben to the Mech unit. Berserkers will stay on Skitter duty."

"Berserkers have done enough damage for one day I will give them whatever duty I see fit," Weaver turned to Ben. "And why can't you fight Skitters?"

"This isn't really the time, captain-"

"I'll decide that." Ben shut up. "Hal?" Hal licked his lips before he spoke.

"The skitters, they can control Ben if he gets too close to one." Matt shook his head. Now they all knew. Ben was marked. He saw how a couple of soldiers took a step away from Ben. He didn't move or react. Would Weaver kill him?

"Only the skitters?" He directed the question to Ben.

"I haven't been close enough to a mech to test the theory but as far as I know only the skitters can. And they have to be close enough to touch me."

"You see!" Pope exploded. "He's a liability. He can't-"

"You'll be on a rocket launcher. Mechs only. You see a skitter get close, you high tail it out you hear?" Ben nodded and Pope let out what Matt could only describe as a squeak of protest.

"Weaver, you can't be serious-"

"I am," he turned on the man. "And you and your berserkers will do what you can to push those skitters back. I want none of them getting across the bridge." Weaver continued issuing orders. Pope left in a huff. Matt was quick to follow him throwing his brothers a parting glance.

When they got back to the others, the skitters had already pressed closer.

"What do we do, boss?" Pope pulled his rifle and shot a skitter in the head.

"Open fire. Make every shot count. Fingers! Spike! Go get us some more ammo from Captain Crunch!" Two of the guys ran off and grabbed their bikes. Pope yanked the ring off a grenade with his teeth. "Fire in the hole!"

They all ducked and waited for the explosion. Before it settled they were up and firing at whatever crossed their paths.

The battle lasted for a while. They went through three more refills of ammo before quiet settled. Mechs were still coming but the skitters were falling. They hadn't seen Fingers since his second ammo run. But then again Matt hadn't seen much of anyone. They had split up to cover more ground. The soldiers that found high ground picked off the skitters the ground troops couldn't see hiding.

Matt took awareness of where he was and realized he had pushed really far from the river.

He heard a sound near him and spun on his heel, weapon raised. He only had a half clip left.

"Who's there?" He asked. No one responded. "Answer or I shoot." There was no answer. He couldn't see his target either. He took a few steps in the direction. When he pushed through some brush he saw a figure leaning over one of the dead Skitters. He lowered his weapon slightly making the figure out as human but then the figure stood tall and he noticed the hands were like claws. He raised his weapon again.

"No!" His shot rang out but it missed, his gun having been shoved off center. He whirled on his brother.

"Ben! What did you do that for?" HE was trying to resituate himself to shoot but Ben stopped him again. It was at that point he realized the clawed creature hadn't attacked. It just stood there studying them.

"It's alright," Ben said and Matt glanced to see that his brother's spikes were glowing. He was conflicted on what to do. "We're not going to hurt you." Ben held out his hand and the figure came closer.

The hand looked like Skitter claws but it walked like a human. The skin was scalley and rough like the skitters but it had long blonde hair on top of its head.

The Skitter like human placed a hand tentatively in Ben's open palm. Matt's weapon was still drawn.

"What-?"

"It's Karen."

Matt threw up.

* * *

The entire town was curious when the soldiers returned at sunrise with Karen nearly fully Skitter morphed in chains. Ben stayed with next to her, holding her hand. They could all clearly see the spikes in his back glowing blue but it seemed to be the only way she could communicate.

Matt was surprised that Hal stayed back with him. He had no idea where Maggie was.

They led Karen to a bunker. Matt stopped when Hal grabbed him.

"I…can't. I don't think I can-" it was the most vulnerable his brother had ever been to him personally. "They might kill her like they did the Skitter that came for Rick-"

"Ben won't let them," Matt said but who would protect Ben? And did Hal actually want Karen saved? She was lost to them.

"I bet Magpipes is gonna find this whole thing awkward," Pope came up behind them. "You know the whole your ex girlfriend being an alien thing. But wait you guys never broke up did you? And can I just say this is an entirely bad idea. Keeping the alien in the basement. Didn't work out too well last time did it?"

Hal didn't give him the time. He just walked away and forced himself to go the bunker.

Matt stayed with Pope.

"You can be a real jerk sometimes."

"And you're just now figuring that out?" Pope walked away from him. Matt was left standing in the street wondering where he should be. With his brothers? Should he find Maggie?

He ended up in the armory cleaning his weapons and reloading them. Someone else entered but he didn't bother to call out a greeting.

"You aren't with them?" He stopped wiping his gun to turn and see Maggie standing in the door. "Hal may need you."

"He may need you too."

Maggie didn't protest. She sat down next to him on the bench. She looked around a moment then grabbed one of his pistols and began reloading it.

"How did she look?"

"Gross," Matt answered immediately and Maggie couldn't stop the chuckle that came out. Matt grinned. "I'm serious. She's all greenish and scaly. Her hands are distorted. She has a tail. The only thing the same about her is her hair."

"Six legs?"

"Two still but who knows what she's hiding in those pants." Maggie was smiling. Matt figured it was pretty insensitive to laugh about the girl but he wanted to see Maggie happy. "If Hal still goes for her, you're better off without him."

"Horrible brother," Maggie muttered with a laugh in her voice.

* * *

"You remember Matty, don't you Karen?" Matt was forced to come to the bunker the next day. Karen lashed out when she was around unfamiliar people. Apparently the majority of the 2nd Mass either looked entirely too different or she hadn't formed strong enough bonds with them for her to react as such. So far the only people she was docile with were Ben-obviously-, Hal, and surprisingly Lourdes. They wanted to test Matt because they needed people around the clock watching her. "My brother. Used to be like this tall."

"Hey!" Matt argued when Ben held his hand only about two feet off the ground. "I was taller than that." He punched his brother in the arm and Karen made a strange sound causing Ben's eyes to widen. "What? What'd she say?"

"Nothing," Ben said with an awed look on his face. "I think-she laughed."

Matt made a weird face. Even if it was Karen under all that Skitter skin, it still seemed weird that anything remotely associated with the homicidal aliens could do something as innocent as laugh.

"It wasn't a very flattering laugh."

"Matt!" And there was that sound again. "Oh my god she _is _laughing. She thinks it's funny." Ben's eyes went blank for a minute then he turned to Matt with a big grin. "She remembers you dropping your ice cream cone on Hal's pants when you were little."

Matt snorted. It was the summer before the invasion. Hal had wanted to show Ben he was a better big brother because he made Matt a bigger cone. It was too big for the 10 year old and he dropped the entire thing in his brother's lap.

"She says you're amusing."

"Great! Just what I always wanted to be. Comedy to the freak show." He plopped down in the chair across from her cage.

"Matt!" Ben scolded again. Matt was surprised to hear another half squeak/snort laugh. Apparently Karen even as an alien hybrid could laugh at herself. "You think you can watch her for a while. I need to handle some things."

Matt waved him off. He figured it would be pretty boring being on Karen duty. The girl couldn't speak but she could understand them and react. He hoped she could make distinguishing sounds so that he could at least get her reaction. She may be alien now but it was at no fault of her own. He didn't want to cross any line and make her-Oh God- cry or something. He was a little out of touch with acceptable social skills after spending so much time with the Berserkers.

The third day Matt had to watch Karen, had been five days since the attack and since she was captured. Matt had brought some things to work on so he wouldn't be bored. He was fine until Karen started tapping on her cell.

"I can't understand you, you'll have to wait until Ben gets here." She shook her head vehemently. Matt stared at her. "What? You want me to tell you a joke? Do a dance?"

She shook her head again. Matt sighed.

"Can you write?" He looked at her clumsy fingers. "Sign language?"

She folded her hands across her chest. Or where ever her chest used to be. Then she did a rocking motion.

"Baby?" She pointed to him and did the rocking motion again. "My baby? I don't have one." She shook her head. Pointed to him and did the motion. "I'm the baby." She nodded. "Yes I'm the youngest." She shook her head. Then pointed at him and above his head. Then did the baby motion again. "I grew up? What? I don't understand? We all grew-"

He understood. He doesn't know how but he did.

"Where's dad." She nodded then stepped closer to the bars. "No one told you?" She shook her head and frowned. Her eyes looked sad. "We don't know. We're scared he's dead. Haven't seen him in about seven years."

She made a scratchy sound that mimicked a whimper.

"Don't know why. It's like he just vanished. We never found a body or a sign of a struggle. One day he was there and the next…he wasn't."

Karen didn't try to communicate with Matt for the rest of his shift. He wondered why it would sadden her that his father was missing. He wondered why she wasn't protesting more to being caged. Shouldn't she be calling for backup or something?

It was Hal that relieved him.

"How was she?" He asked as Matt was on his way out.

"She asked about dad." Hal gave a bewildered look but Matt didn't bother to explain. It took him two minutes to run into Pope antagonizing Ben. "What? Are you obsessed with my family or something, Pope?" That earned him a hard punch to the shoulder when he approached.

"I want to know what she's telling him to do," Pope addressed Matt but had his finger in Ben's face. "And when the retaliation is coming. The least he can do if he's a traitor is give us some information on the enemy."

"I've already told him that she's not calling for anyone. They'll think she's dead and they didn't come to collect their dead to confirm." Ben looked to Matt. "Karen's a bit dazed about everything but she's coming around."

"Coming aroun-" Pope stopped and put a fist in his mouth before he continued. "She's a freaking cock roach! There _is_ no coming around. She cant even speak. She has little frog hands and a tail and if you hadn't stopped her she would have bitten little Matty's head off!"

"But I _was_ there. And she's starting to remember. She may even remember you if you stop by. I can't guarantee she wont want to chop off your balls though."

Pope growled at him. Matt smirked. Hal would have too but not Ben.

"I-" Whatever Pope was going to say he never did because Ben's head whipped to the side then he was running toward the bunker. Matt followed him.

"Ben! What's wrong?"

"Something's wrong with Karen." He yanked the door open, nearly pulling it off its hinges. He sprinted down the steps. Matt heard it before he saw it. The agonizing screeching that Karen was making. She was scratching against the cell walls then throwing herself against the wall and bars.

Hal looked panicked, not sure what to do to make her stop. Ben grabbed him.

"What did you say to her?" He demanded shaking his older brother by the shoulders.

"I-I-" Hal stumbled over his words and Matt covered his ears. "I didn't think she would react. I let slip about Maggie."

Matt uncovered his ears.

"And you thought that was a good idea after I _just _told her about dad?"

Hal shrugged.

"I thought she might be interested-"

"In you _dumping_ her?" Ben gave Hal another shake. Then turned and looked at Matt. "Are you two the most insensitive jerks on the planet?"

"We're insensitive?" Hal asked incredulous and shaking Ben's grip off. "Mr. Dad's better off dead?"

That got Matt's attention. He uncovered his ears again.

"You said that?" He asked. They had wondered if it was true. It was likely but it was like an unwritten rule that you didn't say it out loud to each other. And you definitely didn't wish it on him. They already had lost mom permanently.

"It was in the heat of the moment!" Ben tried to defend himself. "I was angry about everything. We couldn't find him and we had been out every night-"

"Heat of the moment my butt. You left after that." Hal turned to Matt. "That's why we didn't speak for years. That's why he ran away because I didn't agree. Dad wouldn't have just left us unless something happened! But I would never wish him dead. Never!" Hal shoved Ben backwards into the cage bars.

Matt realized that Karen had stopped screaming. She was whimpering in a corner of the cage. Hal turned to her.

"I'm sorry you had to hear it this way." Karen didn't respond. Ben's spikes were glowing but he didn't say anything even as Hal waited for him to answer for her. "I won't come anymore unless you want to see me." He left the bunker. Matt found himself in one of those awkward choose one brother over the other moments.

He looked at Ben who crouched in front of the cage and seemed to be having a silent conversation with Karen. He left the bunker.

"Hal!" he called when he got outside. "Hal, wait up!" His brother slowed down and waited for him to catch up. "So that was weird."

Hal forced out a hollow laugh.

"Weird's not quite how I'd put it."

"You wouldn't? I mean what did she think? You would wait for her after 8 years?"

"It wasn't eight years to her." Oldest and Youngest brother jumped when Ben appeared behind them. "It was and it wasn't. The time while she was harnessed, changing, it's dulled in her mind. Being with us gives clarity back to the time before the harness. She remembered that better than while she was with the aliens."

"But she's still harnessed. She's a skitter," Hal said not understanding.

"Not completely. Without the others around she's separated from the hive mind. She can think on her own and she naturally goes back to human Karen thoughts. To her, it feels like maybe a few long weeks since you were together. And she's been holding onto your memory to keep her grounded-"

Hal's shoulders slumped. Matt could read the guilt on his face.

"So we're agreed? Hal breaking up with her today was a bad idea. But did she really think he would take her back, I mean with the way she looks?" Both brothers hissed in disapproval. "What? Everybody's thinking it. She's not human anymore. I mean I've heard of overcoming barriers to be together but-"

"That's enough, Matt,' Ben said and Hal gave him a look that said the same thing. Matt sighed. "Just give her a few days to yourself before you go see her again. She still wants to be friends, I'm sure."

* * *

Matt had spent another night at the lake with Lydia, this time it wasn't interrupted by a skitter and mech attack. When he was going back to Hal and Maggie's place he spotted Ben sitting on the roof of one of the storage facilities.

"Stargazing?" He asked and Ben smirked.

"Naw, just thinking." Ben shifted. "My division was killed. Pope let it slip last night at dinner."

Matt sighed. He had forgotten about that.

"I'm coming up." It took Matt a few minutes to take the stairs and then open the roof hatch to get to his brother. Then he realized Ben had probably done something freaky like spider man up the walls to get to where he was. He sat down with a huff.

Ben looked at the rifle Matt had over his shoulder.

"You take that everywhere with you?"

Matt looked at his gun then noticed the pistol hidden in the waistband of his brother's pants.

"You take that everywhere?" Ben rolled his eyes then punched Matt in the knee. "Pope says to always be prepared for an attack."

"You listen to everything that guy says?"

"Listen to? Yes. Take to heart? Nope." They shared laugh. "He not too bad." Ben gave him a doubtful look. "Okay, he's pretty bad. But there's good there. I mean he's still alive and keeps the Berserkers in pretty good shape. He's got a whole bunch of people out of trouble with the aliens."

"Got them into a whole lot too," Ben grumbled. Matt couldn't argue that point.

"I miss the good ole days," Matt said leaning back and putting his hands behind his head.

"Yeah? Which days? When dad was still here? Or before the invasion?"

"Before the invasion," he answered a fuzzy memory of lullabies and cookies by the truckload ghosting through his mind. "When mom used to spoil me rotten."

"Huh. You were the spoiled one and yet Hal always calls _me_ the brat."

"Well you are kind of bratty." Ben punched him in the rib but they both laughed.

"I miss when Hal could beat me up."

"Both of you can beat me up. I don't know what there is to miss." Ben reached over to ruffle Matt's hair though it didn't do much to his shaggy locks.

"Don't ever change, bro."

"Yeah yeah," he waved off Ben's hand but he was pretty sure he already had.

* * *

"You in or out?" Matt blinked awake to the smell of stale liquor and cigar smoke wrapped in heavy shroud of beer. "Aint got all day Matty boy."

"Wha?" He sat up confused as to how Pope had got in his bedroom. "Wha time-"

"Half past butt crack of dawn," Pope dropped Matt's keys on his lap. "You've had your little vacation. We're pulling out before Weaver or your brother try to loop me into another extended contract here. Aint no way I'm staying 200 miles anywhere near your skitter brother or his skitter girlfriend."

"Karen's not Ben's-"

"Don't care. In or out, tell me now."

Matt took a moment to think. It didn't feel right to just up and leave when both brothers were dealing with issues. Where would Ben belong now that his secret was out and there was no more Special Division? What was Hal going to do with Karen? What was going to happen to her? And he hadn't seen Maggie since a few days ago. He should say bye to all of them including Lydia. And Dr. Glass. Lourdes-

But one glance at the impatient look on Pope's face told him that would be a no go.

He could stay but that would be the same as saying he didn't want in the Berserkers anymore. And saying that didn't feel right either.

Matt was on his bike ten minutes later following Pope and the others across the bridge and out of town.

Matt looked back at the spot he and Lydia shared on the river and saw someone standing there. It took a second glance to realize it was Ben.

* * *

"Looks like Florida moved, boys!" Pope called out. They had made it as far as Louisiana before they hit a dead end. There were literally hundreds of the towers, hundreds of mechs and countless Skitters. They had managed to take out about a dozen towers but it had only been the perimeter to this field. Matt looked down at his box of 25 grenades. Then back at the field of alien towers. "Welcome to alien city."

"Where did this even come from?" He asked to no one in particular. "The SD came back this way. It was cleared."

"That's the thing about these aliens, they pop up like dandelions all over the place. If there were a limited supply of them we would've ended this war long ago." Pope gazed over the scene. "Best get to shooting boys." He aimed with his silenced sniper rifle and fired. A skitter drifting from the group dropped dead.

"We can't possibly clear this out with this ammo."

"How many rockets we got?" Pope asked ignoring Matt. Someone called back that they had about 30. "Hit the critical points. Make it so that the blasts spread to other towers. Be smart about your aim. The rest of us will pick off skitters. Save the big guns for the mechs."Pope looked down the line of all the men waiting for any protests. He got none. "Lock and load."

The group spread out. Matt hung back grabbing a handful of grenades and a grenade launcher to add to his usual arsenal of weapons. They'd never get close enough for him to set his bombs, it'd be a swarm so he left those with the bikes.

Matt wasn't sure who started it but they all got sloppy. Pushing too far inland too quickly and spread too thin. They let Skitters get behind them and the launchers, the ones targeting the towers had to move with them instead of staying out of sight.

Before they knew it Matt felt them get surrounded. He backed up into Pope.

"How many you got?"

"Half a clip. And six grenades," Matt muttered not taking his eye off the surrounding enemy. "You?"

"Empty. Empty and…emp-wait I got a clip in my pistol."

"Did you count the bullets you shot off at the border?"

"…half a clip in the pistol." Figures. Matt actually rolled his eyes but he didn't say anymore. He was terrified. He always knew running with Pope meant courting death. But the last time he had felt this helpless his own brother was holding a rifle to his forehead at the bidding of a skitter. Now he was going to be ripped apart by dozens of them.

The others were standing similarly in the circle, rounded up like cattle. Matt wondered if it would hurt, getting torn to shreds by Skitters. He wished the question was more hypothetical. He didn't really want the answer.

"It's been a good run, gentlemen," Pope said calmly reaching slowly for his pistol. Matt was setting his rifle and he could tell the others were going for whichever weapon was still functional. "But I say we go down fighting."

"Stop." They all froze. A human girl, harnessed appeared from the woods. Behind her stood the tallest alien Matt had ever seen. Over his shoulder he carried something. Matt realized it was another person. "You will lower your weapons."

"No we will not," Pope answered immediately.

"You will lower your weapons or you will be destroyed."

"Pretty sure you intend on destroying us anyway so-"

"You infiltrate our lands-"

"They were ours first-"

"We will make a trade." Pope didn't argue. He just waited. "The human I carry will be returned to you in exchange for one of yours. You will return to your comrades and you will take this human with you. Alive. I will know if you have not done so."

"I don't take orders from extra-terrestrials you son of a-Mason?" Matt jumped and looked up just in time to see the alien lower the human in his arms.

There, lying unconscious was his father. Tom Mason. He looked older. Weathered. More grey. Tired even while asleep.

"Dad-" Pope stopped him with an arm.

"Why? Why him?" The way Pope asked made it seem like a terrible affront to his own person for the alien to want a trade with Tom Mason of all people.

"Because he will have a very important message to deliver to your leaders. And you would be wise to listen." The alien turned and Matt swore he was looking straight at him.

"What do we do?" He heard someone whisper but Matt couldn't focus. All he could focus on was his father. In the alien's arms. Unconscious. A father he hadn't seen in years whose face he thought he might've forgotten.

"You may have had better luck in the past but we don't make deals with the enemy," Pope was speaking again. But Matt panicked.

"So you refuse?" the alien asked and Matt knew the other aliens were gearing to attack again. "You would bring about your demise in a foolish endeavor?"

Pope only cocked his gun in response.

"Very well."

"Wait!" Matt pulled away ignoring Pope's aborted protest. "I'll go. Just give him back." The alien, half turned to leave turned back then took quick steps to Matt and crouched to his level. Matt could almost reach out and touch his father. "Give him back. Please."

"You would give yourself in his stead." The alien's breath was cold. Matt shivered as it rushed over his face. The girl was speaking for it but it's nostrils flared and its eyes searched over Matt's body like a he was a specimen.

"Yes." Matt was sure everyone could hear the pounding of his heart. The alien stared at him long and hard. Then it lowered Tom to the ground. His prone body laid on the ground blank. Spike moved quick to pick up Tom and heave him over his shoulder. A few skitters surrounded Matt allowing the Berserkers to leave.

Matt could feel that ill feeling coming back. His heart was pounding and his mind was screaming in protest as the others turned and left. Pope stared at him. He seemed furious, disappointed. Betrayed.

Matt turned away. The alien beckoned him. He followed to the ship hidden in the trees. It was huge and a stream of light came from inside. Mechs and skitters entered it. Matt was escorted up the ramp. As it began to close the last of the skitters passed him by leaving him at the edge of the opening of the ship. He could see the Berserkers grabbing their bikes and driving off. He only hoped Pope wouldn't kill his father. If he hadn't been there with them, Matt was sure Pope would have left his father in that alien's arms and gotten all the Berserkers slaughtered.

He was practically trembling in fear, scared out of his mind but he knew he was going to do this anyway.

Someone looked back at the ship as it cleared the tree line and Matt pleaded with them with his eyes to keep his dad safe. Take him back to his brothers.

The last thing he heard was the clank of his four grenade rings hitting the floor.

* * *

Pope sat in the hospital room with his pistol in his lap and a deep set frown on his face. He heard a groan come from the bed so he looked up.

"Who is…" eyes focused. "Pope?"

"Expecting someone else?" Tom didn't respond. His head was groggy. The last thing he remembered was yelling for Evie and her two daughters to run when the skitters found their campsite.

"Where-?"

"Charleston." Pope set the gun at eye level with Tom. "Dr. Glass managed to bring you back from the brink. I should put this bullet between your eyes."

"You chased me off. I did what you asked. I don't know why killing me would give you more satisfaction than keeping me from my boys."

"Don't-!" Pope stood and stopped himself from actually yelling. Tom gave him a bewildered look at his sudden anger. Pope settled back into his seat. "Do not talk about them."

"They're my sons." Pope couldn't respond. He didn't know why he reacted the way he did. Well he did and he didn't, but the part that did know he really wanted to convince that it didn't. "How long has it been?"

"Eight years." Pope knew only because the Mason boys never let him forget it. Tom grimaced. His eyes fluttered around the room and Pope noted that the guy's eyes started going glassy. "Don't start the water works on me, Mason, they won't work."

"I only remember five of them." Pope almost bit his tongue. Last time, they had lost Tom Mason for three months and he had something done to him. Now the guy had been with the aliens for at least three years.

"What you do? Got kicked out by your own kind so you go running off to the enemy?"

"I was captured. There was a family, I had to let them get away. Cause a diversion."

"Oh right, I forgot, Tom Mason, history professor and undying martyr." Tom huffed at the sarcasm.

"If there's something you want to say Pope, say it and get out."

Pope's eye flashed in that angry way they did when he was beyond pissed. Tom held the stare steadily despite the ache in his neck.

"You listen to me," Pope said low and vicious. "I carried your sorry hide all the way from 'Bama. I don't care how many orphans and single mothers and kids with puppies you saved you will _never _be the man your son was." Pope didn't wait for a response. He stood up and opened the door. Just then Ann, Lourdes, and both Mason boys poured in.

"Why didn't you tell us he was awake?" Hal interrogated but Pope only shoved him out of the way as Ann put the stethoscope in her ears. Tom shivered against the cold of the instrument as Hal and Ben touched his arm and shoulders. Lourdes spoke vitals to Ann and Maggie hung back by the door. They were so much older, young men. Tom was sure both boys had had another growth spurt even after their teens.

Ann pulled away as the others came in and gave him hugs. Tom ran his hand up and down Ben's spine and he pulled Hal in with the other. But no one was smiling genuinely and when Ben started silently sobbing into his shoulder he knew something was wrong.

His throat tightened up when Ann looked away and told Lourdes and Maggie to step outside with her.

"Where's Matt?"

Hal's grip on his shoulder tightened and Ben's body shook a little harder. Tom felt himself getting angry and he didn't know why.

"Where's my boy? Where's Matt?" He struggled to sit up pushing against Hal and Ben's hold. "Where's-"

"Tom." It was Weaver entering. He pulled his cap off and Tom could tell he aged too but the thought was quick and unimportant. "Pope and the Berserkers brought you home." Weaver didn't say anything else. Tom didn't understand. There were so many questions, so many unsaid things that he tried to pick out of both of his sons' gaze but they only held exhaustion and sadness that Tom wanted to both run from and wipe away.

"He's gone, dad." Ben looked at the floor while Hal spoke. "He was a Berserker. He…they said the alien sent you with a message and that they made an exchange. Matt took your place on the ship and they brought you home," Hal's words drifted as if he couldn't quite believe it himself.

Tom shook his head.

"We have to go get him. Bring him back. As soon as I'm healthy-"

"He blew up the ship." Tom frowned. Not understanding for a moment. "Pope said he must've pulled his grenades as soon as he boarded. It crashed back down to the ground after the explosion."

He's gone.

Explosion.

He's…gone.

Tom started heaving breaths. Hal called for Dr. Glass while Ben told him to breathe. His eyes went blurry and he could feel a knot that just encased his whole body. He tried to swallow, to cry, anything but just that agonizing breath he couldn't quite catch and the image of his son walking onto a ship and blowing it out of the sky with him on it. Ann lowered him back and placed a mask over his face.

"You're going to be fine," she said as he felt unconsciousness swarm.

"No, I'm not." He mumbled his last thought on why his son had to be the one to send a message right back to the aliens.

* * *

End.


End file.
